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Changes in the annual growth rings of exposed tree roots after exposure to the elements allow us to utilize exposed tree roots that are available on project sites for erosion rate assessment.

This method, known as dendrogeomorphology, has been predominantly used in Europe for land slide and hill-slope erosion assessment. But over the past 10 years, Bryan Dick and Ian Jewel have developed its use for assessing river and streambank erosion across the...

Just as trees’ inner rings tell the story of their growth, their roots can reveal how quickly the earth is washing away around them. It’s critical information for addressing watershed problems.

Freese and Nichols’ Bryan Dick, left, and Ian Jewell, right, not only adapted a method for reading exposed tree roots to measure rates of riverbank erosion, but our team is using the technique for a growing list of clients.

Just as trees’ inner rings tell the story of their growth, their roots can reveal how quickly the earth is washing away around them. It’s critical information for addressing watershed problems.

Freese and Nichols’ Bryan Dick, left, and Ian Jewell, right, not only adapted a method for reading exposed tree roots to measure rates of riverbank erosion, but our team is using the technique for a growing list of clients.

The rate at which streambanks are eroding, and the total annual quantity of sediment being entrained from those eroding streambanks are of a primary concern for ecological, water quality and sediment studies.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently determined that streambank erosion constitutes as high as 90 percent of the annual sediment yield found in rivers.